The Association of Real Estate Developers of Lagos State (AREDOLS) has petitioned the Lagos State House of Assembly over what it described as the Lagos Waste Management Authority’s (LAWMA) misclassification of construction materials as waste.
The developers are asking the lawmakers to intervene and direct LAWMA to stop imposing levies and penalties on materials they say are still usable in construction and should not automatically be treated as waste.
In a petition dated August 10 and signed by AREDOLS Chairman, Kamil Shodeinde, and General Secretary, Ahmod Olukotun, the association raised concerns over what it described as LAWMA’s approach to classifying items such as planks, derricks and other construction materials.
AREDOLS argued that these materials can be recycled or reused in building projects and should therefore not be categorised as waste simply because they are found at construction sites.
The developers said the resulting levies and penalties were creating additional financial pressure for property developers and ultimately increasing the cost of housing and construction in Lagos.
The association also called on the House of Assembly to examine what it described as gaps in LAWMA’s management of domestic waste across the state.
AREDOLS further argued that different categories of waste, including domestic, medical and industrial waste, require distinct approaches to collection, treatment and disposal.
The petition comes at a time when Lagos is seeking to strengthen its management of construction and demolition waste. LAWMA has previously worked with development partners on initiatives aimed at improving construction waste management, recycling and environmental sustainability across the state.
For property developers, however, the immediate concern is the financial impact of how construction materials are classified and regulated. AREDOLS wants the state legislature to review the classification system and address what it considers excessive charges imposed on developers and other participants in the construction sector.
The association maintains that reducing unnecessary levies would help ease some of the financial pressures facing the real estate industry, particularly as construction costs remain a major factor in the price of housing across Lagos.
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